What does a Texas estate-planning attorney charge?

Typically $1,500–$4,000+ for a trust-based plan and often $800–$2,000 for a will-based package, varying with the market (metro rates run higher), complexity, and the firm. Texas does not regulate these fees — they are engagement-specific.

What does EstateDraft cost?

The Will-Based Plan is $199 (individual) or $299 (couples) — will, durable power of attorney, and medical directives. The Trust-Based Plan is $499 / $699 and adds the revocable living trust with funding instructions. One-time prices; membership ($49/yr) is optional and never auto-attached.

What does attorney review cost on top?

EstateDraft does not currently offer attorney review, and it does not refer you to an attorney. If you want a lawyer's review before you sign, consult a licensed Texas attorney of your choosing; the attorney sets their own fee and engages you directly. How the rules apply to your situation is a question for that attorney.

What makes a plan cost MORE later?

Skipping it. Dying intestate can force a dependent administration or an heirship proceeding (attorney ad litem, bond, hearings) that costs the family multiples of any plan; an unfunded trust adds a probate the trust was bought to avoid; and a missing independent-executor clause turns cheap Texas probate into supervised probate.

Is the cheap option ever the wrong option?

Yes — complexity is the test, not price. Blended families, business interests, out-of-state property, special-needs beneficiaries, and taxable estates justify attorney-led work. The questionnaire records what you supply and selects nothing for you; whether your situation calls for a lawyer is a question for a licensed Texas attorney of your choosing.

What Does Estate Planning Cost in Texas? Real Numbers

Last updated October 22, 2026

Estate-planning prices in Texas run from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, and the honest comparison has three columns: what an attorney-led engagement costs, what our guided platform costs, and what not planning costs the family later. This is general information, not legal advice — and every price below for our own product is the live price, not marketing copy.

The numbers

Will-based plan

Attorney-led: commonly $800–$2,000

EstateDraft: $199 individual · $299 couples

Trust-based plan

Attorney-led: commonly $1,500–$4,000+

EstateDraft: $499 individual · $699 couples

Attorney review

Included in attorney-led work

Not offered by EstateDraft — a licensed Texas attorney of your choosing sets their own fee and engages you directly

Ongoing

Update engagements as needed

Optional membership $49/yr — never required, never auto-attached

The cost of doing nothing

Intestacy is the expensive option: a Texas intestate estate may need a judicial heirship determination (Est. Code ch. 202 — citation, an attorney ad litem, proof) or a court-supervised dependent administration with bond — routinely costing multiples of any plan above. A single will clause naming an independent executor (s. 401.001) is the cheapest sentence in Texas law.

Build the plan at the live price — $199 will-based, $499 trust-based — assembled from your own answers.

Start your Texas Estate Plan

Attorney-fee ranges are market observations, not quotes; attorneys set their own fees. General information about Texas law, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. EstateDraft is software, not a law firm.

Frequently asked questions

What does a Texas estate-planning attorney charge?: Typically $1,500–$4,000+ for a trust-based plan and often $800–$2,000 for a will-based package, varying with the market (metro rates run higher), complexity, and the firm. Texas does not regulate these fees — they are engagement-specific.
What does EstateDraft cost?: The Will-Based Plan is $199 (individual) or $299 (couples) — will, durable power of attorney, and medical directives. The Trust-Based Plan is $499 / $699 and adds the revocable living trust with funding instructions. One-time prices; membership ($49/yr) is optional and never auto-attached.
What does attorney review cost on top?: EstateDraft does not currently offer attorney review, and it does not refer you to an attorney. If you want a lawyer's review before you sign, consult a licensed Texas attorney of your choosing; the attorney sets their own fee and engages you directly. How the rules apply to your situation is a question for that attorney.
What makes a plan cost MORE later?: Skipping it. Dying intestate can force a dependent administration or an heirship proceeding (attorney ad litem, bond, hearings) that costs the family multiples of any plan; an unfunded trust adds a probate the trust was bought to avoid; and a missing independent-executor clause turns cheap Texas probate into supervised probate.
Is the cheap option ever the wrong option?: Yes — complexity is the test, not price. Blended families, business interests, out-of-state property, special-needs beneficiaries, and taxable estates justify attorney-led work. The questionnaire records what you supply and selects nothing for you; whether your situation calls for a lawyer is a question for a licensed Texas attorney of your choosing.

General information about Texas law, not legal advice.